The Harvest
by indehed
Summary: (McDanno, AU - Vampire) In every generation there are a Chosen few. Those who will stand against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness. They are the Slayers.
1. Chapter 1

**Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire Slayer,**  
 **Pairing: Steve McGarrett/Danny Williams**  
 **Spoilers/Warnings: none**  
 **Author's note: Thanks to Paulette for the beta. Yes, it's the Buffy the Vampire Slayer fusion you never expected or knew you wanted... yes, it's another AU from me. Quelle surprise.**

 **Originally published (on ao3): June 2014**

* * *

Danny Williams was a rarity in the slayer world. Mainly because a boy hadn't been called up in centuries, but it did happen occasionally, just as plenty of Watchers over the years had been female despite the predominance of them being male. But he was also a rarity because he had survived not just into his twenties, but also his thirties.

Of course, once there had been only one Slayer in the whole world but now there were more, maybe seven or so across the globe (though they were never allowed to meet or know each others' identities) and it had been when Danny was sixteen in Newark that he'd been approached and clued in to what happened when the darkness fell.

It had been a harrowing life from then on and one that he couldn't tell his family or friends about. Of course, some discovered his secret. His brother Matt had found out when covering for Danny over injuries he'd received so their parents didn't worry. Some of his friends found out when he'd saved their lives in a vampire attack on a late night shopping event at the mall. And Rachel knew because he couldn't get married and hide it from her.

They'd been young and stupid. Rachel maybe not so much but Danny had been. He hadn't expected to survive the Apocalypse that year and had hastily married Rachel in order to try to have some kind of normal life before he died. Then he'd saved the world with the help of his then-partner and had lived to fight another day. And Rachel was pregnant.

It was idiotic and reckless and Danny seriously considered asking Rachel to terminate the pregnancy because who would bring a child into the world when they knew what was really out there? But he couldn't do it, and when Grace was born Danny had a new purpose. When he knew he was going to be a dad he thought about retiring from slaying but he had to protect his new daughter, the light in his life, the thing that kept him fighting harder. Both Graces were the reason he had survived that third apocalypse. Grace Tilwell had died so that he could get closer to the demon, destroy it and close the gates to Purgatory. (Which, apparently, were located at the docks in Newark and in some ways it really hadn't surprised him). And Grace Williams was the innocent life in his hands that meant more to him that anything, and nothing else could ever come close.

And who knew that the day that he'd had to fight to save humanity, would be the same day that humanity would hurt _**itself**_ so badly. He'd almost lost hope in those following few days but he had to keep going. He had named his baby girl after the reason he was alive, the person who saved him, because the tiny bundle in his arms was his new reason to keep on. Maybe humanity had disappointed him, but that one little girl never would.

But Danny being a cop and a slayer was too much for Rachel to handle, it put stress on their relationship and they had divorced. Then his Watcher died at the hands of a witch and the Council had decided that Danny needed to move location and even though he'd resisted for Grace's sake, the Council made a point of guaranteeing that Rachel and Grace would move also. Danny still didn't know how they did it and frankly, he didn't want to, either. But at least on that front he got what he wanted. Then they told him where he was moving.

Honolulu.

Vampires in Hawaii? It had seemed odd to say the least when he'd stepped off the plane into blinding sunshine. Why would a vampire slayer be needed in Hawaii? But all the Council would say was that there was a prophesy blah blah blah and Danny needed to go there and his new Watcher would meet him at Pearl Harbor.

Chin Ho Kelly, one of the smartest men Danny had ever met, was paying the bills by guarding the local gift shop since something had happened with his family and he'd become a rubber gun - no longer combining his watcher duties with that of being a cop himself. But he was skilled in a fight, book smart, tech savvy and was currently training his young cousin while looking out for Danny. It was a big ask of the man and Danny respected that and the way that Chin handled it, so he made a point to be at training on time and ready to go and do his best not to grumble. And when he did, which was often anyway, he would apologize after.

He'd been in Hawaii six months now and nothing major had happened. He went out patrolling and killed more vampires than he'd expected for a state covered in eternal sunshine and he spent as much time as he could with his daughter, making sure she got a decent childhood and was protected from the realities of life as long as he could manage.

But this night felt different. Perhaps because he'd been concentrating on a new case at work and how yet another vampire attack was going to have to be covered up with the 'he took a fork to the neck and bled out' theory but he felt weird. He had prickles on the back of his neck and he kept his ears attuned but nothing had happened and he'd been out for over an hour.

He kept going to the end of the block, then turned onto a quieter street with lights further apart and then the prickles got more obvious and he stopped, instantly knowing what was happening.

"Okay, I know you're following me and have been for a while, so how about you show yourself and just tell me what you want like a civilized person," he said, finishing what he had to say before turning around.

He peered into the shadows at the service door to a nearby rundown motel and watched as it moved. A tall, dark figure appeared in what little light he could see. "I know what you're thinking," the man said. "But I'm not going to bite you, detective."

"Gee, that's a relief. Perhaps I won't shoot you," Danny said back, his hand resting on the hilt of his gun.

"There's been a lot of strange murders recently. Things must be busy in the Homicide department."

"You seem to know me but I know nothing about you. How about a name?"

"McGarrett," the man said, putting his hands in the pockets of his black cargo pants.

"I meant yours, not my latest victim's," Danny answered.

"That is my name."

Danny took a breath. That explained some of it anyway. "I'm sorry for your loss, but I'm not going to give you any information on an ongoing investigation."

"How about I give you some?" McGarrett asked, taking a few steps closer but stopping when Danny's hand tightened on his service weapon. "Victor Hesse."

"Who's that?"

"He's your killer. A vampire. Old. Strong. Gone by a few different names in his time and this is the most recent. He's up to something. I don't know what it is yet, but it's big. And it's soon."

This guy definitely knew who Danny was. He'd become used to creatures recognizing him for who he was straight away, but never humans. That bothered him. It itched under his skin. It made him question who this guy was and just how human. Looks could always be deceiving and though Danny had a great vamp-dar, it was pinging in different directions with this guy and he couldn't figure him out. He could blame the low light but that wasn't it. It was his eyes. They were softer than a vampire's. Most of them were almost like animals. Smart ones that knew how to ensnare their prey, but animals nonetheless. But this guy? Though he looked like he had that coldness to him, his eyes spoke clearly that he cared.

"Vampires don't exist. Perhaps you should think about seeing a grief counselor or something," Danny tried, giving the man one last out, and giving himself a last vestige of hope that his identity as the Slayer was still secret on this island.

"There's no point trying to bullshit me, Danny Williams. I know you're a slayer, so how about we get to the part where you find and kill Victor Hesse."

And there went that hope. He sighed. "It's just that easy, huh? Find him and kill him."

"That is what slayers do, isn't it? And I've been watching you for a while. You're skilled. You've survived this long, that says something about how good you are and now you're in Hawaii where the vampire population has boomed in the last two years. The Council sent you here for a reason and I'm telling you Victor Hesse has something to do with it."

"Why don't you do it? You seem clued in. You look capable," Danny gestured at the man who, come to think of it, looked pretty trim under the tight black t-shirt he wore. What was this guy's fashion code anyway, Army ninja?

"I would, but he'd see me coming. He doesn't know who you are."

"You have a beef with this guy? Got some history?"

"You could say that," the man crossed his arms and nodded.

"Uh-huh, clamming up now with the information, that's great. Look, I'll do what I can, I'll get my watcher on it, see what we can find out."

The other man gave a curt nod and then turned away to walk off. "I'll be in touch," he threw over his shoulder and disappeared back into the shadows and Danny lost sight of him quicker than he expected.

"Didn't ask you to be," he murmured once he was alone again, before turning the opposite way and heading back to where he'd parked his car.

* * *

"He just said the guy's name was Victor Hesse and that he was a vampire, nothing more," Danny shrugged as he leaned on the computer table Chin had stashed in the back room of the Pearl Harbor gift shop.

It was like going into a vault every time he came here. Only Chin had a key for it, citing that only the head of security should have one for the 'back office', and once inside it was a strange mix of old and new. Leather bound books going back centuries adorned shelves yet modern computer equipment sat on the desk and in the case of where Danny was leaning, was actually the table. Chin and Kono had scanned a lot of the documents in for faster access and as part of her training (or slavery, as Kono thought of it sometimes) she had been organizing a fast cross-reference system on the computer that would help them narrow down old lore with modern policing. Chin had FBI, CIA, MI6, Interpol… he had everything. Security agencies from around the world all had links through the council and so Chin had everything he needed at his fingertips. Being a modern watcher was apparently a lot easier than being a watcher even just ten or twenty years ago, when Danny had been starting out and Chin had been halfway around the world from him, completing his watcher training.

"And you said his name was McGarrett?" Chin asked, a soft puzzled expression on his face as he typed onto the table top.

"Yeah. Figure he's a relation of John McGarrett; he gave that impression. Knew a lot, too. Knew I was a slayer, maybe the family has ties to the Council, but he didn't give anything away. John trained you though, right? He ever speak about someone like that?"

"Not that I remember, he only ever really spoke about his daughter. Anything else about this guy that can help me out?" Chin asked as he typed away on the table.

Danny shrugged. "I dunno, tall, dark, gorgeous…." he cleared his throat as Chin briefly glanced up to shoot him a look. "… in an annoying kind of way. I didn't like him."

Chin smiled quickly but covered it and got back to the matter at hand. "John has no immediate relatives listed. Not male, I mean. Got a daughter, like I said, called Mary. He was an only child himself. I could look further back if you want but this guy didn't give off a vampire vibe to you?"

"No, but anyway, maybe you should stop focusing on the mystery figure I've already met and get on with finding Hesse?" Danny prompted.

"Fine. Victor Hesse. I've already looked into him as much as I can. He popped up around ten years ago using the name Hesse. He had a brother, Anton, but someone seems to have killed him eight years ago, so I'd lay bets right now that Victor isn't the happiest of bunnies, you know how vamps can keep a grudge." Danny rolled his eyes, that wouldn't be news regardless. "He's had other names over the years, nothing major is popping. He doesn't seem important enough to be doing anything himself, more like an assassin for hire or a middle man. He's done dirty work for.. hmmmm, a few heavy weights. Including Salvo, who you already know."

"Yeah but Salvo's dead. I got him years ago, after a very long and traumatizing case, I may add, and I have no recollection of a Victor Hesse. And I was cleaning up for about four months until we got the vamps under control again in Hoboken. Such a mess. Some punk ass kid vampire even managed to get close enough to taser me. On Halloween… still never figured out what he was doing out that night…"

"Still, there's nothing here that would point to Hesse as being the kind of player that could be the subject of an ancient prophesy of doom." Chin finally interrupted Danny's musings.

"About that," Danny leaned back, keeping one hand on the table top and the other waving in the air in front of him. "I'm still not entirely sure how I fit into this prophesy. Or what it's about. To be honest, I doubt its existence."

"Oh, it's real," Chin barely looked at Danny as he answered. "It's being kept in England at the Council headquarters, you know that."

"You've seen it?"

"I've… been made privy to some details. Enough to know that it points to something happening here and that it involves the local slayer."

"See, that's my problem. I'm not local. I was just plucked up and moved here. They could have picked anyone, so why me?"

"Because the prophesy talks about a male slayer and as much as I know nothing about the other slayers out there, I'd wager that you are the only male slayer we have right now."

Danny stood still, a hand all but motionless in front of him, his fingers lightly rubbing against each other and mouth open trying to refute why it had to be about him but struggling to come up with anything to say against it beyond what he already had. He shrugged. "I'll still only believe it when I see it."

"Uh-huh," Chin answered noncommittally. "Well, if Hesse is on the Island like McGarrett says then he'll need a blood supply if he wants to stay under the radar. According to the crime report from the John McGarrett murder, DNA was left behind identifying Fred Doran as a potential suspect."

"What do we know about him?"

"He's in the HPD system. Gun running, drug dealing… I'd lay bets that if Hesse needs something while he's here, then Doran's the guy to get it for him."

"So Doran's human?"

"Well… that I don't know for sure, but he was six months ago when he last got out of jail. But if his DNA is showing up on our murder victim's neck, I'd say Hesse already turned him."

"Great, well, I'll call Meka, tell him I'm following up on a lead. Don't want him involved if it's fang related. It would be easier if I just told him about things."

"You've been in the game a long time, Danny. You know the rules."

"Yeah, yeah," Danny waved off as he walked out the door. Having a partner that wasn't aware of the existence of vampires was a pain in the ass. His life had been simpler when he was partnered with Grace and he'd told her even though he wasn't supposed to. Then she died, and Danny blamed himself. Of course he did. If she hadn't known, he'd never have involved her in his take-down. He'd also be dead right now, but she'd probably be alive and it was a guilt he'd had to push down on years before. After that, he'd not allowed his partners to get close to him enough to let them know what was going on. He just let them think he liked to work alone as much as possible and they stayed clear.

Since being in Hawaii, Meka was the only one in the precinct that didn't think him weird and who worked well with him. He felt bad that when he partnered with Meka, it was the other man who was keen to share and try for a proper partnership, yet Danny pulled back. If he wasn't a slayer, he knew he and Meka would get on brilliantly, go out for beers after work, play some poker… but instead he had to go out on his nightly patrols of the seedier parts of town or the local cemeteries and religious spots and couldn't give Meka straight answers. This was the first partner he'd had since Grace that he'd actually wanted to tell.

He called and left a message, being evasive by not speaking to him directly and relieved when Meka didn't answer his phone. He then drove out to the address Chin had given him for Doran and sat for a while just watching the house, wondering if there was a nest in there or if Doran was alone. Wondering if the neighbors had any idea who and possibly what they were living next to and just how careful he'd have to be if he had to be a slayer right now and not just a cop.

He decided the place was too run down and small to be the home of a nest. Vampires would live anywhere but they were still territorial and still wanted the best they could get, especially when there was a bunch of them trying to get all alpha with whatever pack they'd put together (okay, so that was werewolf language, but it fit for what Danny meant).

He checked his gun then got out, heading to the trunk and to the hidden compartment underneath the board where he kept a bag of slayer essentials with his spare tire. He took out his cross and put it around his neck. He never usually wore it during the day, keeping religion out of the work place, especially because he wasn't religious about it and didn't want to get into conversations he wasn't interested in. He lifted out two stakes, keeping them tucked in at the back of his belt, then grabbed a small bottle of holy water and put it in his pocket.

He went in as a cop, unholstering his gun when he heard voices inside arguing and then put his back to the wall beside the door, cursing that he was alone and didn't have any backup. He didn't really need it if Doran was a vamp, but if he was human and this got ugly then it would have been better.

"Fred Doran, this is HPD."

The arguing stopped and then a gunshot rang out, a bullet ripping through the flimsy wall and grazing Danny's shoulder. He stayed on his feet, ignoring the pain, but then the door slammed open and a woman pushed Danny over on her way out, cursing Doran, cursing the cops, cursing everything as she got out of there.

Danny stayed low for a moment while he got his bearings, noticing immediately that Doran had stayed inside, which tipped the scale in favor of him being a vampire. He lifted his gun again, wincing at the pull on his now injured shoulder and moved carefully inside the house.

"Fred Doran, drop your weapon and come out slowly," he tried. It didn't work.

"You don't know who you're dealing with, cop!" A voice spat from a back room.

"Oh, I think I do," Danny murmured to himself as he moved closer, keeping close to the wall even though he'd already proved that wouldn't stop a speeding bullet. He raised his voice again. "I want Victor Hesse. Tell me where he is and maybe I can cut you a deal. You know… for the whole shooting a cop thing, and the illegal weapon you're holding."

"You think I'd give up Hesse, then you're insane."

"You loyal to him?" Danny asked. "He turn you already? If he did, I'm pretty sure you don't want me arresting you and taking you out of here. Two steps out that door and you're getting a severe case of sunburn so if you want to stay alive you better start talking."

"Who are you?" Doran asked.

"The bogeyman," Danny answered. "I'm your worst nightmare, Doran."

"Slayer," Doran almost sang out as he realized and Danny could actually hear him taking a slow breath in, the vampire's heightened senses seeking out the smell of Danny's slayer gene, then he laughed and Danny got a sinking feeling. "Even slayers can't survive a bullet to the brain."

Clearly Doran had a better weapon than Danny knew, and a hail of bullets pounded into the walls as Danny ducked down low and moved out of the line of fire as Doran peppered everywhere in the house in a way that said he didn't care about wasting the bullets he had.

Danny cursed. A vampire coming at him with a set of fangs was one thing. Taking a new vamp on in hand to hand was almost a sure thing for a slayer unless the vamp got lucky or the slayer cocky. But when you gave said vampire a machine gun, then things got crazy, and just as difficult to deal with as any human faced with raining bullets.

The sound of breaking glass made him cover his head but it wasn't from a window near him. Danny figured Doran must have started shooting even more randomly, but then he heard thumps in the other room and in an instant the bullets stopped.

He waited a moment, counting to three slowly in his head, then braved it. He rose from his crouch, lifted his weapon and turned into the room, pointing it at the dark figure in the shadows, looking at the pile of dust in front of him, the machine gun discarded on the floor nearby.

"Damnit," Danny said, his gun still raised at the figure as he took in the rest of the sparse room, with nothing else in there except an almost bare table and what looked like some dirty sheets on the floor.

"You don't need to point your weapon at me," the man said.

"I don't?" Danny kept it up. "Because you just killed my lead and on top of that, I don't actually know who you are or if I can even trust you, so I think I'll keep it where it is, thank you."

"I told you last night, my name's McGarrett, Steve," the other man answered, a perplexed look on his face. "And I'm not a danger to you. I just want to get Victor Hesse."

"Something I was trying to do until you killed the vampire who knew where he was!" Danny answered.

"What, this guy?" McGarrett pointed at the pile of dust. "You were in trouble, I was helping. And why didn't you tell me this guy was so important! You shouldn't have come on your own!"

"And I was supposed to tell you how, huh?" Danny asked, waving his gun to the side now, forgetting that he didn't actually trust the guy yet. "You waltzed into my life last night with a name and nothing more. You're not a cop and you're not a slayer, you shouldn't be involved in this."

"You didn't even bring your watcher?"

"He's busy and I'm the slayer. This part is my job and I'm used to doing it alone."

"Not always," McGarrett said, throwing Danny.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked, for the first time really wondering why McGarrett seemed to speak to him like he knew him, like he knew his past, like an old friend.

"Nothing. Forget I said anything. You're hurt."

"I'm fine. I heal quickly."

"You should still have someone look at that," McGarrett said as he walked around the dust where it sat in the sunlight from the broken window he'd smashed to come to Danny's aid, and then he handed him a card from his pocket. Danny looked at it. Nondescript, just a white card with a phone number.

"What's this?" He asked, playing dumb.

"In case you need me."

"In case I need you? You think I'm going to call you if I need help? There are plenty of people above you on the list, buddy."

"There shouldn't be. You put me at the top of that list, okay?" McGarrett stood close and the air between the two men lay heavy and thick and Danny felt strange when he looked into McGarrett's eyes, like he had butterflies in his stomach, though he berated himself for thinking it because he wasn't a twelve year old girl with a crush. Those eyes intrigued him, that was all, that's what he'd keep telling himself. He was fascinated because he couldn't read McGarrett like he wanted to, like he usually could with everyone else. These eyes were soft, but hard, young but ancient, they danced with a lightness and happiness but this man held a deep pain over something.

He may know things about Danny's life, but Danny knew nothing about his and he found himself wanting to know and it was more than a slayer curiosity to find out what things were and if they needed to be killed. Danny knew the butterflies even if he tried to deny them because he'd felt them before when he'd met Rachel. After the divorce he'd vowed never to get married again and that it was best for him and for the world if he just stopped with relationships and concentrated on the lonely path he needed to take to save the world over and over. He had his daughter; he didn't need anything else.

And now this guy had walked into his life like a second shadow. Danny shrugged internally. Just because he'd sworn off relationships didn't mean he'd become a monk. Maybe if there was a strong spark that McGarrett felt too, then maybe they could have something casual once the case was done. Maybe.

"Listen," Danny cleared his throat, breaking the spell between them "I gotta call this in before the neighbors do. And I need to start covering your ass for dusting Doran."

"Just say he went through the window."

"That window?" Danny pointed behind them. "The one that's smashed _**inward**_?"

McGarrett took a moment. "There was someone else here that got out, say they smashed it in to give him an exit and they left together."

"Whatever, I don't need your help," Danny waved off. "Just go as well before anyone sees you and I need to work out how to explain you."

"I will, just buy me five minutes and I'll make sure I've not left any evidence behind, then I'll leave."

"Fine," Danny scowled, curiously as McGarrett seemed like he was refusing to leave until Danny was out of the room. He didn't have time to play a game of reverse chicken with McGarrett and instead took himself outside to his Camaro and called in the details. When the first black and white arrived he used their bullshit story to explain everything and waste some police man hours with a hunt for someone who was actually a pile of dust on the floor and not running away somewhere, and he listened as the notification went out over the radio. All the while he had an eye on the house. He hadn't seen McGarrett leave but there was nothing else he could do as uniforms began looking for evidence inside and bagging up the gun Doran had used.

Danny left them to it and headed back to the precinct to fill out the paperwork. Once done, he got his ass back to Pearl so he could work out his next move with Chin.

"There's only one thing for it," Chin said as their trail went cold on finding Hesse.

"What?" Danny asked, not sure he was going to like the answer. Chin gave him a steady look. "No, come on. Shamu?" Danny moaned.

"Hey, he's got good intel. Stuff we don't have."

"It's hocus pocus, not intel."

"Just because he's a warlock doesn't mean he's a bad person, Danny."

"He did time because he used magic to rob ATMs," Danny pointed out.

"Well, he's reformed."

"He hates me," Danny put in with a sing-song tone in his voice.

"He's wary of you. And only because you're the slayer and you've repeatedly threatened to burn him at the stake. Which means I'm going to have to be the one to talk to him."

"Sounds good to me."

"Oh, you're still coming," Chin stated as he grabbed a few things from the table and stuffed them in his pockets.

"Why?" Danny moaned.

"In case my brand of persuasion isn't strong enough to get any information from him."

* * *

Danny leaned by the car. Chin had banished him to it when he'd almost threatened Kamekona by blithely asking if he could float or not, and that made things worse by getting the price jacked up. He bounced against the door and squinted into the sun, taking in the tourists around him on the beach. As usual he wished he could be like them. Like anybody, really, who didn't know what was out there and blissfully went about their ordinary lives.

It was as he looked around him that he recognized the dark shape in the door of a nearby building. The fact that he recognized it already and could pick it out in a crowded area after such a short time was not something he liked. He sighed and pushed away from the car. With his hands in his pockets he sauntered over.

"Well, if it isn't my annoying shadow," he said, looking up the steps into the doorway of the shack at the man inside. Still wearing dark clothes and looking rather out of place, the man looked Danny over in return.

"I followed you," he said, watching around them, eyes wary as if on alert for danger.

"I figured that out already. I'm not an idiot and you, my friend, are not subtle." Danny replied and got nothing back from McGarrett. "You feel like filling me in on the why? Hmm? Why are you following me?"

"In case you needed my help again."

"That last time was a fluke," Danny pointed out.

"And in case you didn't call me like you're supposed to. Which you haven't, by the way. My phone is working perfectly."

"Uh-huh, well I don't actually have anything to call you about yet. But why am I justifying myself? We've had this conversation already and honestly, I probably wasn't going to call you. All you're doing is making my life more difficult."

"You need my help to kill Victor Hesse," McGarrett said, finally meeting Danny's eyes.

"I need- since when? You came to me, McGarrett, not the other way around." Danny was beginning to get a crick in his neck from looking up the steps at the giant of a man that Steve McGarrett was, so he moved inside the shack.

Danny's movements made Steve take a step back and turn to keep talking to him. He crossed his arms. "If I go after him head on, he'll know it. He knows me too well. Besides, you're the slayer, so you have the resources and the strength to go up against him, but not alone."

"You make him sound a lot more dangerous than the vamps I've come across in the past."

"He is," Steve was adamant. "And it's not just his age and experience that sets him apart from the run of the mill vamps you meet in dark alleys. Hesse has ties to big players. Big."

"Like who?"

McGarrett shuffled his feet a little. "I don't know yet."

"Wow, that's some amazing intel you got there. What is it, 'word on the street'? Gossip is no good to me, McGarrett. I need names, places, skill sets…" And maybe then, Danny added in his head, maybe then it still isn't good enough to save everyone. He learned that the hard way in 2001.

"Okay, you want more information then fine," McGarrett sighed and rubbed a hand over his face, clearly unsure as to whether to tell Danny this or not. "I did get close to something when Hesse just arrived on the island. Before he killed John McGarrett to taunt me and try to warn me off. There was talk about 'the harvest' and at first I thought the vamps were talking in some kind of code but now I'm not so sure."

"What was it?"

"They said 'the sleeper will wake'," he paused. "'And the world will bleed'. It's important, Danny. Whoever Hesse is working for has something big planned and we need to stop it now, before it gets worse."

"Well that's… dramatic."

"Are you witches?" A small, high pitched noise said from somewhere around their knees. They looked down the steps at the little girl who stood there with big eyes.

Danny leaned down, hands on his knees. "No, sweetheart. Witches are female. Guys are warlocks."

"Are you warlocks, then? You look like warlocks."

"No, we're not," Danny smiled as Steve immediately asked her if she'd prefer to go back into the sun and go get some ice cream.

The girl practically ignored Steve and continued on. "My Uncle's a warlock."

"Let me guess, your uncle is Kamekona," Danny asked and the girl nodded enthusiastically. "Okay, come with me, I got something better than ice cream." Danny left the confines of the shack and headed back to his car where he pulled a stuffed rabbit from the backseat. He'd been planning to give it to Grace but she'd already called him about how her step-Stan had bought her the real thing, and he knew the stuffed version wasn't going to be so cool. Besides, he hoped that giving this young girl the gift would maybe help ease some tension with Kamekona so that he gave them information in the future.

As she ran off, happy with her new toy, the sound of laughter came around the car and Danny turned to his watcher.

"Making friends?" Chin asked through a smile.

"Yeah yeah, mostly trying not to," Danny pointed over to the shack, but McGarrett was long gone. "Seriously, is the man a ninja?" He asked no one in particular.

"Who?" Chin asked.

"McGarrett," Danny shook his head in disbelief. He never saw the man arrive or leave, he really was an enigma.

"He was here? Did he say anything?"

"Talked about 'the harvest', said he'd overheard about it, thinks it's related to Hesse, and maybe someone bigger."

"I'll look into it when we get back. In the meantime, Kamekona came through for us. Said if Hesse is laying low, the person to keep him hidden is called Sang Min."

"Never heard of him," Danny said as they both got into the car.

"Neither have I, but apparently he's been working with the underground for a long time. Vampire, turned in the early 90s. Doesn't trust readily and doesn't work with humans."

"So how do we get in?"

"I have an idea…"

* * *

It turned out that Chin's idea involved Kono taking a day off from training and surfing and allowing Kamekona to put a spell on her to make her look like a demon, though Danny had argued that they could use make-up, but apparently they needed to mask her human scent, so it had to be a spell.

There was very little Danny could do. He wasn't a research type (not when it came to slaying; he did enough of that in his day job). He was the action guy and his strength was, well, strength. So he left Chin alone to look into the harvest, and Kono disappeared to Kamekona's shrimp truck leaving Danny to do his own thing.

He visited Grace first. One downside of the Council's interference on getting Rachel and Stan to move to Hawaii was that they got primary custody. But she was his girl and he always needed to see her. She was his rock and the thing that kept him grounded and reminded him that there were things in the world worth saving. That and the simple fact that she was his daughter and he loved her and loved spending time with her as often as he could.

All too soon it was her bedtime and he bid her a goodnight, left Rachel's palatial house and headed out to do his other job. It was a boring night of hunting and in the end he bought a beer at a small bar and headed out the back doors and onto a little stretch of beach.

He was happily leaning against a low wall a little away from the hubbub of the bar when a familiar feeling came over him. He shook his head. Goddamn familiarity. "Let me guess. You were in the neighborhood?" He turned to see McGarrett saunter closer, hands in his pockets.

"Would you believe that?"

"You aren't holding a beer, so no," Danny pointed out, considering Steve had to walk through the bar to get to where they were standing now.

"I left my wallet at home," he shrugged.

"Guess I'm buying then," Danny groaned. "Come on," he motioned for Steve to follow as he started back into the bar, but a hand on his bicep stopped him.

"Wait, what did your watcher find out?"

"He's looking into it," Danny shrugged, but it didn't dislodge McGarrett's hand.

"That's it? You've got nothing else? I haven't checked in with you for hours, I figured you'd have found something by now."

"Well, Mr. Smartypants, maybe we're not as efficient as you thought we were," Danny finally pulled out of Steve's hold and brushed by him to head back to the bar when he was spun around to face Steve again.

"Wait. What are you not telling me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, Danny. You've been telling me all the time since we met that you won't come to me. That's why I keep coming to you and I can tell when you're hiding something from me."

"We've known each other for a _**day**_. You don't know me at all."

Steve kept his stance with nothing more than a momentary eye flicker. "Tell me."

Danny sighed. "Fine. So we got word about a guy who might know where Hesse is. We're putting a plan in place for tomorrow."

"What kind of guy?"

"Vampire. The kind of vamp that deals with import/export. Real pillar of the community."

"Sang Min," Steve said.

Danny frowned. "You know him?"

"I know _**of**_ him. He's been on the island for years. I should have thought of him earlier."

Steve moved to back up and leave but it was Danny's turn to grab his arm and stop him. "Whoa, hold on, Speedy Gonzales. Just cool your jets, we're hitting him tomorrow. No sooner."

Steve acted like he couldn't understand why Danny would hold back. "This is the best lead and you're sitting on it? This is serious, Danny. Victor Hesse wants you dead and the island in the palm of his hands and you're drinking a beer?"

"Right now, Sang Min is out there doing his thing. He's awake, alert, strong, hungry. I'm sorry, but you'll just have to wait until morning and we hit his lair then, when he's not expecting it. Whatever this big plan is, I doubt 12 hours is going to make a difference, so do me a favor and grab a beer and keep me company."

Steve was reluctant. He took a moment, then hitched his cargo pants. "Fine. I'll be right back."

Danny watched, not entirely trusting the man, so he kept his eyes on him as he got a beer from the bar. He only allowed himself to lean on the low wall and look out over the ocean once he could feel Steve's presence close by him again.

Danny frowned. "Wait, since when did Victor Hesse hate me? I thought he didn't know I was here so wouldn't see me coming?"

"Well, he doesn't know exactly who you are, but I think after the last 24 hours he must be clued in that the local slayer is looking for him."

"Hmmm. If he doesn't know my face or name then it doesn't change things much then," Danny glanced at Steve and saw his confused look. "He's a vampire," Danny hinted, with a wave of his beer bottle. "Vampires are thick-headed, over-confident, stuck in their ways and always believe they are in control."

"They're not all like that," Steve scoffed as he took a gulp.

"Trust me. They are. I should know, I think I've met enough in my time. They're watered down demons and so it's their way or the highway, right? Like they're compensating for the fact that they're pretty much just a half demon. Even the smart ones think no one can stop their plans. It's very Bond villain."

Steve turned to lean his side against the wall and face Danny. "So you've never met a vampire that was… different?"

"One that wasn't a soulless, sadistic demon?" Danny screwed up his face incredulously. "No."

Steve smiled ruefully and played with the label on his beer bottle. "Considering that you have fought so many. You ever think about quitting?" He finally looked up at Danny.

"Sure. All the time. Every day."

"Seriously?"

Danny waved his head side to side. "If you were to ask Chin considering how much I complain during training then yeah, but… I guess not really."

"So you've never had doubts about continuing?"

Danny swallowed. "Once." He took his time deciding how much to say to this guy he'd known for just over a day and Steve didn't push. "I had just won a fight but I'd lost a lot during it. It was the worst day of my life."

"So what made you carry on?"

"It just so happened that I got some incredible news that day that led to the best day of my life."

It dawned on Steve what Danny meant. "Your daughter."

"Yeah," Danny nodded, realizing in the back of his mind that he hadn't told Steve about Grace, but assuming he guessed because of the giant stuffed bunny earlier in the day. "And I knew I had to keep fighting. To make it safe for her. So she could grow up and not be so fearful of things around her."

Danny felt a warmth on his hand where it lay on the wall and looked down to see Steve's covering it. "You're a good father."

"Maybe. But maybe I get myself killed by some fang-face and where does that leave me, huh? I can't help, I can't be there for her if I'm dead."

"You're a cop, too. That's just as dangerous a job."

"Sure. But I'm good at what I do. Slaying and being a cop. I guess I keep going because I like to be reminded that I'm good at what I do."

"She knows you love her, that's what she needs most. But we'll also do everything we can to make sure you go back to her at the end of every day."

"We?" Danny asked, still feeling the warmth from Steve's hand seeping into him and it felt like a charge going through him, straight into his chest and he could feel his heart pounding to cope with it.

Steve was so close, and he answered with an imperceptible nod, then his other hand was on Danny's chin, lifting him closer before their lips were touching, and they were kissing. It took long moments but was still over too soon when Steve pulled back; a hand going to his upper chest.

"You okay?" Danny asked, concerned.

"Fine, just a little bit of heartburn. The beer, I guess." Steve's eyes were almost watering.

"Okay, umm, I thought I did something-"

"No, no it wasn't you," Steve continued to rub at his chest, fingers at the neck of his t-shirt. "I'd very much like to continue this. Very much. I just… rain check."

"No, I get it," Danny interrupted this time, making the whole thing feel just that little bit awkward. But truth was, it was best that they stopped. There was a reason Danny had considered this for _after_ everything was done, and not before. New things could work out well but new things during a case were never a good idea. New things added new variables and that could throw him off. He did like this new thing, he really did, he just… shouldn't do it now. "You should go home. I should, too. It's late and there's a lot to do tomorrow."

"Call me," Steve said. "And actually do it this time."

"Okay," Danny said, then moved to walk away. As he did so he checked his pocket for the stake that was still in there, shifting it where it was digging into his side a little. His other hand tangled in the chain of the crucifix around his neck - a nervous twitch he was aware he did. He was always checking if it was there or not, making sure to take it off at the end of a night's hunting. He should probably put it back in the trunk of the car where it lived.


	2. Chapter 2

"I thought you said McGarrett was joining us?" Kono asked as they gathered around the car, ready to go. It was odd looking at her and seeing a… he couldn't even pronounce what Kamekona had turned her into.

"That's what he said when I called, and please don't drool on the hood on my car," Danny handed her a tissue from his pocket.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I can't help it."

"What's going on with you and McGarrett anyway?" Chin asked with a strange smile on his face.

Danny inclined his head forward. "I'm sorry, 'going on'? There's nothing going on, why would there be something going on?"

"I dunno," Kono frowned, or at least, it looked like a frown. "You're being cagey. Maybe you didn't sleep with him then. Third base?"

"Excuse you?" Danny almost snorted indignantly.

"Only second?" Kono carried on blithely.

"Think so, cuz," Chin finished as he checked his crossbow. "He's gone red now."

"That's anger. Not… anything else. And even if something did happen, and I'm not saying it did, it's none of your business."

"Uh-huh," Kono laughed. "Listen, don't sweat it. I may not have met him yet, but I think he'll be good for you."

"Yeah? What makes you think that?"

Kono shrugged her new, bigger shoulders. "He makes you smile."

"I've known him for about two days. And I don't recall smiling any more or less since meeting him. I never smile, unless it's around Grace."

"I meant on the inside," She said, placing a scaly hand on his shoulder and the look in her eyes was entirely hers and so entirely genuine that he didn't have the heart to refute her on anything.

"Okay, come on. We've got work to do," Danny broke the moment. "You ready to go?" he asked her.

"As ready as ever, boss. Let's do this."

"We'll be listening in the whole time," Chin said, his voice more serious now. "If anything starts to go bad, we're going to be right behind you."

"Got it," she reassured him and then was on her way in. They'd concocted the story in advance. Since Sang Min didn't trust humans and only liked to deal with supernatural creatures, her new disguise would get her in the door, but once inside she had to convince them that she was on the up and up. Kamekona had turned her into some kind of half demon, but she still looked mostly like herself except scaly and with a snout thing, but her height, weight, eyes, hair, all that was still just her. She had to convince him she was a … whatever she was… and that she had family that wanted to come to America. Demons that didn't blend in so well with humanity found it difficult to fly, so they'd have to come in by boat and Sang Min was the vampire to get it done.

They listened in as Kono made the introductions, talked to them. Sang Min seemed to be buying it. She wasn't wearing a wire - instead Chin had a listening device held up and both Danny and Chin were sharing the headphones. This would be much easier if they had a police van, but there was only so much equipment Danny could get on the down low. It was hard enough covering up his slayer time during work days.

Everything was going fine until there was a pause, then they heard Sang Min's doubting voice tell Kono that her kind didn't like going in the water, so why would she have sand in her hair from the beach? They knew they were in trouble and didn't hang around to listen to whatever she came up with. Instead they dropped the sound equipment and started to run towards the warehouse Sang Min was using. Danny plastered himself to the wall, stake in hand and ready to go, ready to signal for Chin, who was on the other side of the wide doors, when there was the honking of a horn.

He had very little time to move out of the way before the big cement truck came flying at them, knocking down not just the door but the majority of the wall while it was at it. Danny wasn't one to count his blessings, instead he moved quickly, taking advantage of everyone's shock and he had two vamps dusted before the driver of the truck could get out of the cab.

All hell had broken loose, and still McGarrett seemed to think now was a good time to look smug about his entrance. Danny just shook his head and motioned to Steve that he was about to get attacked by a vampire and watched as Steve pulled the guy over his shoulder, got him on the ground with a knee in him, then produce a stake and turned him to dust despite the weak protests from underneath.

Between them, they got everyone. All except Sang Min, whom Danny had captured trying to get out of the fracas while also staking another vamp at the same time - and Rachel said he couldn't multi-task.

He pushed Sang Min onto his knees in front of them, his hands were zip tied behind his back and there was no way out for him.

"Let me have a talk with him," Steve said in a low, growly-voice.

"If anyone's going to get the information we need out of him then it's me. I'm the Slayer," Danny argued.

"That's exactly why you can't. He'll never talk to a slayer."

"Oh, but to you, he'll sing like a bird," Danny waved a hand around.

"I have some moves," Steve said as he crossed his arms. "Look, if it doesn't work you can have a crack at him. Does it really matter which of us goes first?"

"Fine, okay, knock yourself out," He let Steve pick Sang Min up from the ground and march him to the built-in office.

Chin came up over his shoulder. "I thought you said there was nothing going on between you two."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, until McGarrett walked into your life, there is no way you'd have let someone you just met take the lead on an interrogation of a vamp. You trust him that much already?"

"Maybe I do," Danny answered, with a lilt of curiosity in his voice. He wasn't entirely sure why he had given in so easily to letting Steve take care of Sang Min, or help on the investigation, or hell, kiss him in the bar last night, but somehow he was. He really needed to get a grip on this strange infatuation.

There was a banging sound that stopped his thoughts.

It was soft, but it was there. "Sssh, do you hear that?" He asked, stopping Chin from walking away.

"Hear what?"

Danny listened intently, then heard it again. "That," he said. "That knocking."

"Yeah, I do. Sounds like it's coming from outside," Chin remarked and then they were both heading out. Franticly turning his ears to the sound, Danny pinpointed what looked like a rusting cargo pod. Once they were at it, it was definitely where the sound was from, only now it wasn't just knocking, but cries for help.

"It's okay, I'm a cop, we're here to help," he yelled against the metal door and after giving up and shooting the lock off, Danny swung the door open to the blinking people inside, covered in dirt and sweat, it was clear they were illegal immigrants, refugees, swindled into coming into the country this way only to arrive with Sang Min. Oh God, Danny realized, these people were like cattle, they were a food source, and they were people no one would miss. At the very least, they'd done some good today by getting these people free.

Kono rejoined them after having taken the potion to turn her back into a human. But she was carrying a box of tissues like they were a lifeline. Before they even asked she explained, "Side effects. Kamekona warned me there would be some. Guess in this case, having a snout and shrinking it back down to my normal nose is one thing, but all that mucus didn't disappear with everything else."

"That's disgusting," Danny wrinkled his nose.

"You're telling me," she said. "I'm the one going through it."

"Come on. We need to sort out Sang Min quickly so we can get this called in," Danny motioned and he and Kono made their way back into the building while Chin stayed to corral the refugees with what little Mandarin he knew.

"McGarrett," Danny called out in the echoey chamber. The man in question strode out of the office, rubbing his hands. Danny looked over his shoulder into the office but didn't see anything much.

"You got the people, right?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, they were in a shipping pod out back. How did you know about them, he tell you?" Danny asked.

"He did. He told me quite a lot, and you're not going to like any of it."

"That was always going to be a given," Danny replied.

"Tonight is The Harvest," Steve started.

"You look like you know what that is," Kono said warily.

"I do," Steve answered. "According to Sang Min, on a crescent moon, one vampire can be given strength through another as they feed."

"Why would a vampire need that?" Kono asked.

"I've seen something like it before," Steve answered. "Normally used to give a weakened vampire back his strength."

"So we know the when, now we just need the where," Danny put in.

"I know that, too. A Chinese freighter. Sang Min said Hesse came to him looking to order a shipment. Those people outside were for a mix of customers, but a freighter coming in later today has a shipment that's just for Hesse and whoever he's working for. My guess is, it's Hesse's boss that needs the power."

"Okay, that gives us some time before it gets in to work out a game plan. Right now, we need to deal with Sang Min and call in the uniforms to process this place and help these refugees."

"I'll take care of Sang Min. He's got a tunnel system to get out of here. I'll see where it leads us."

"Okay," Danny said, being trusting again. "Come by Pearl Harbor when you're done. Kono will bring you in and we'll get to grips with everything there."

They all parted ways to deal with their respective jobs in the cover up. Danny stayed to watch the Chinese immigrants be taken away, wrapped in blankets and drinking bottles of water. He needed to just take that moment to know he'd done some good, that these people were safe and know that there were more of them that he could help again tonight. As much as Grace was his anchor, and his reason to fight, he still needed grounding moments where he let himself indulge in how doing good like this felt. He needed it because he knew there was a darkness at the edge of his mind, that wondered why he should bother, why he should fight and get hurt for what could easily be an unappreciative society. He'd seen it before, after all. People could be a bag of dicks, but individual people, their grateful smiles were his reminder that not everyone was a terrible person.

Once everyone had arrived back at their office area, Chin brought his research out and loaded the relevant files onto the table top computer for all four to see.

There were uploaded pictures of old text, since Danny was looking at it upside down, Chin read the pertinent details. "For they will gather and be gathered. From the Vessel pours life."

"What does that mean?" Danny asked. He hated ancient prophesies of doom, they were always vague.

"What Steve told you about before is true. One vampire with a symbol carved on his head can feed on humans and the strength he gains actually goes to another vampire. And I worked out the timing and it's tonight for sure. From what I understand it comes around once every century."

"Wait," Danny turned to Steve. "You said you'd seen something like this before."

"In a book, I meant… in a book. I read," Steve answered but looked shifty. Danny didn't have time to analyze it so he just moved on.

"Okay, so do we know how Hesse is involved?"

"I have an idea," Chin hedged. "Before you came here, the Watcher's Council did brief me on the history of the demon activity on the island. In the middle of the 20th century there was a powerful vampire that came here, looking to open one of the gates to Hell."

"Let me guess," Danny put in triumphantly. "There's one here! Of course there is, I knew this rock was going to be hell the minute I stepped foot on it."

"Don't get crusty, Danny," Kono put a hand on his shoulder. "You've dealt with one before."

"Correction," Danny lifted his hand. "I dealt with a gate to Purgatory, not Hell."

"Potato, tomato, etc," she shrugged. Her nonchalance on the dangers was endearing and frightening at the same time.

"Anyway," Chin said loudly, trying to continue. "He failed. Or at least, we all got a little help from Mother Nature because there was a tsunami, it threw everything off and also, lucky for all of us, helped trap him in his lair."

"So he's stuck, and he needs out?" Kono asked.

"Sounds like it," Chin answered.

"So he's using Hesse. Hesse is the Vessel and tonight he's going to use that shipment of people to give his master strength through him," Steve said in a voice determined to put a stop to it. No matter how much Danny wasn't sure about the guy, he knew he wanted Victor Hesse stopped so while their goals were the same, it made sense to trust him to help.

"So tonight I hit the freighter, dust Hesse and any other vamp who gets in my way, and no Harvest?"

"That's about the sum of it, yes," Chin answered.

"Wait, you can't go in there alone," Steve said, turning to Danny and moving closer.

"This is usually the part where I do," Danny responded. "Slayer," he pointed to himself.

"Not this time, this is big and you need help. I know Hesse, I know he's strong and he's not stupid either."

"You're not coming."

"I'm coming," Steve reached out to Danny's arm. "Whether you like it or not."

"If you get killed-"

"It'll be my own fault," Steve was adamant. Danny hadn't taken anyone in with him since Grace Tilwell had died. His last Watcher had died while he was away fighting and he'd come back to find the body so something in him knew that it didn't matter where his friends were, they could get killed so long as they were already caught up in his life and knew what he really was. Steve knew, so he was already going to be in danger no matter what. Maybe taking him along wouldn't be the end of the world. Maybe they'd save it together.

"Okay, fine," he grumbled, and Steve answered him with a dazzling smile.

"So what do we do until tonight?" Steve asked, turning back to face the others in the room, breaking the spell between just the two of them.

"Well, some of us have jobs to do. So I'm heading to the station and hoping Meka doesn't ask too many questions about what I was doing all morning and how the hell I ended up rescuing a bunch of illegal immigrants at the docks."

"I'll stay here," Steve said quickly. "I'll help Chin. Maybe there's more we can find out that could be useful before tonight."

"Fine," Danny nodded. "I'll get the slip number and send it to you. I'll meet you at the entrance tonight."

* * *

Danny was leaning against the side of the Camaro when the other car pulled up. "What the hell is that?" He asked as Steve clambered out.

The other man looked over his shoulder at the car. "Mercury Marquis. It's a classic."

"Uh-huh. Just another word for old. Do yourself a favor and cash it in for something a bit more reliable."

"I'll think about it," Steve answered. "What's the plan?"

"Uh, I sneak in, find the people, get them out, dust the vamps."

"That's your plan?"

"You don't like it?"

"No, it's wonderful. I just thought there might be a few more details included. You seem the type who likes details."

"Listen, we don't have time for more intel. I don't know who this mysterious vamp is who is quite literally sucking the life of these humans to free himself and reap havoc. I don't know how many of his goons are in there protecting Hesse so he can get the job done. And I don't know how many possible victims we have, both in the pods from China, or the freighter crew. Hell, I don't know if the freighter crew are in on this thing, so the plan is a little sketchy. I've left wiggle room."

"Wiggle room."

"For improvisations."

"Oh, I got that, I just… you said wiggle room," McGarrett's lips turned up in a weird smile.

Danny shook his head. "Gather what you need so we can get going."

Steve moved to the trunk of his car and pulled out a crossbow and made sure to holster two regular guns at his side and his thigh. Once he was done, Danny gave him an appraising look. "You know bullets don't get the job done, right?"

"They do if they're pointy and wooden," Steve answered then looked Danny over in return. "What about you?"

"I travel light." Danny didn't have much. He had a stake in his hand, one stuffed down the back of his pants, a lighter, a small bottle of holy water in each pocket, and his cross at his neck. It was all he needed. He pushed away from the car and began to walk, but a hand on his arm stopped him.

"Wait a second, Danny," Steve came around to his side. "I know you've survived a lot before now but just…. be careful."

"I will be," Danny nodded. "Just, stay behind me and don't get yourself killed."

Steve nodded and they started walking again, Steve just over Danny's shoulder. He leaned closer to Danny's ear as they walked through the darkness, with just the odd street lamp to illuminate their surroundings. "We've still got to get back to that rain check from the other night."

"Like I said," Danny turned slightly into Steve as they walked. "Don't get killed and maybe we'll find some time for it."

"Well, that's something worth surviving for," Steve grinned and they crouched, making their way over to some crates, giving them a decent vantage point of the docked ship.

There were two ramps leading in - one main one for the shipments going in and out, another for the crew to use. It was clear that their best bet was the smaller one if they wanted to be sneaky. Then Danny heard a scream that was then cut off and he knew they had to hurry and surprise may not be the best way about this.

"You take the small ramp, get on quietly and get those people off," he said.

"What about you?"

"I'm taking the main entrance. They'll be too busy trying to stop me that they hopefully won't notice the sacrifices being led off."

"There's too many of them, you'll be killed," Steve argued.

"We don't know how many there are," Danny reasoned.

"Exactly. But I do know Victor Hesse and I'm telling you that he'll have too many of them for you to take on alone. He knows there's a slayer after him, no doubt his boss does too; they'll have taken precautions."

"So what do you suggest?" Danny asked.

There was a pause, like Steve was gearing himself up for something. "They're not expecting me." Danny had no time to register what Steve was doing. In an instant, the man was on his feet and running, charging up the main gangway, making a spectacle of himself and bringing his gun to bear halfway up and letting the bullets fly.

"I hate him. I hate him so much," Danny swore to himself then got to his feet and followed, flying up the gangway as fast as he could and jumping in, trying to keep track of Steve through the fight because he'd be damned if he'd get injured by the friendly fire.

As he reached the top, he was attacked en masse by three blood suckers, fangs at the ready. The first one rushed him and Danny was able to twist his arm and pull the guy around to use as a shield against the other two's teeth, while he kicked out at them. He used his stake and dusted the first through his back, before watching the reaction from the other two. They seemed to decide to try and be smarter and flanked him before attacking again. Danny blocked a few punches from each before one slipped through, and as he doubled over, he ducked down, and one of the vamps punched the other in the face. Danny took advantage of his low posture and struck out, bringing both of them to their knees and before they could gather themselves, he reached behind his waistband, brought out his second stake and dusted them both in symmetry.

He stood, both stakes in hand and beginning to tap into his anger as he looked around. Steve had blessedly decided to save the innocents around them and was telling them to dodge the fight and go around it all and off the ship. Danny took a moment to check where his assailants all were and noticed Hesse making a run for it. Correction, Danny thought as he narrowed his eyes, he wasn't headed off the boat, he was heading deeper into it. He wasn't escaping, he had some kind of plan B. They needed to follow.

"Steve!" He yelled and gestured to where Hesse was going. He'd run after him himself, but Danny was currently being surrounded by about 7 vampires, all wanting their shot at the vampire gold star - killing a slayer.

Whether it was trust in Danny's skill or his own desire to get to Hesse, Steve left him be and ran after the head vampire, leaving Danny to deal with the rest. This wasn't going to be easy with the supplies he had. He backed up a few steps as they came closer, circling him and doing that annoying pre-savoring that fangs liked to indulge in, but it never truly bothered Danny because it gave him time to regroup and to think.

He almost tripped as he backed into something. A crate maybe? His hand fell back onto its surface and touched on something and he smiled. He broke eye contact with the vamps long enough to look down and grab it - a rope. It had enough length that he could use it. He pulled his lighter from his pocket and lit the end, gave it some slack and began twirling it above his head. He turned and was able to set three vamps on fire in one targeted swoop. They screamed and tried to get to the edge to jump into the water but they went up in smoke before they could.

The others were wary and though it meant Danny wasn't getting attacked, it also meant he wasn't able to go anywhere, so he had to move this along. He shot the rope out of his hands like a lasso and was able to catch one vamp directly in the crotch. Using the advantage, he ducked out of the way of two vamps trying to grab at him while he moved, ran and fell into a slide to pick up the end of rope again. As the vamps tried to chase after him, he made a point of circling around. When he stopped, they stopped in confusion. He gestured down but it was too late for them. He yanked on the rope and it tripped them up. As the two vamps tried to sit up, Danny wrapped the rope around them and watched as the burning end devoured more of the rope and they screamed before following their friends into dust.

He turned to the last one who was standing there, practically shaking, unsure what to do. "I don't have time for this," Danny swore, walked as if to go around the vampire but once he got passed, he came back and threw a bottle of holy water over the guy's head before he dusted the relieved idiot before he knew what hit him.

He strode in the direction he'd seen Hesse taking off in. It led to a stairway down into the bowels of the ship, the hue of the lighting making it seem greenish yellow and there was an echo of dripping water.

He could hear a struggle taking place. "Steve?" he yelled as he shifted up a gear to find him.

When he turned into the fight scene he stopped dead in his tracks.

Hesse had the upper hand with Steve bloody and kneeling on the ground in front of him, his hair being pulled back painfully by Hesse and a stake held to his throat while he struggled against the hold.

"This is a turn up for the books," Hesse said as he jerked Steve around again. "Out of all the dumb moves you could have taken against me, McGarrett, teaming up with a slayer wasn't what I expected."

"Let him go," Danny said. Of course he didn't expect Hesse to do it, but it blurted out regardless.

"Does the slayer even know the truth?" Hesse leaned in closer to Steve but kept his voice up for Danny to hear. "The truth about who you are? _**What**_ you are? I'm sure if he did, he'd not be trying to help you now."

"No," Steve tried, his voice ineffectual as he fought the hand holding the stake on him.

"So he doesn't know you're a vampire then? And been playing him all along no doubt. You got close to him, you must know everything about him by now… where he lives, where he works, who he loves… you used him to get your revenge on me and once that's done you can destroy him, too," Hesse ended on a sick laugh.

"That's not true. That's not-" Hesse choked Steve off.

"No." Danny breathed. He couldn't believe it. Steve a vampire? But… his eyes. And yet…. he'd never seen him in the sunlight. He remembered him dodging around it and. Oh god. His neck. They kissed and Steve's upper chest… Danny brought his hand to his cross as he realized the truth.

How could he be so stupid? How could he let a vampire trick him so deftly? To get so close? Hesse was right; Steve knew enough about him to destroy him completely and it was Danny's own fault.

He was struck dumb.

"Don't listen, Danny," Steve tried again.

"But it's true," Danny said, looking at Steve in heartfelt betrayal. "And I trusted you."

"I never-" Steve was cut off again by Hesse.

"Wo Fat will be pleased," Hesse said. "The Slayer's blood will give him the last of the strength he needs to break free."

Danny's eyes widened in horror but it was too late. His shock at the revelations about Steve had blinded him to what was around him and it was a fatal mistake. He was grabbed by two vampires he hadn't seen on the boat before now, that must have been down here all along. They were big, and strong, and their hold on Danny's arms was unrelenting. They pulled him over to where Hesse was and held him up between them.

Danny felt a chill run up his spine as Hesse's cold hands came to his shoulders, caressing over and into his neck, tipping his head to the side ready for the bite. He breathed deeply, trying to calm his racing heart and all he could think was that this was it. _**This**_ was how he was going to die and he'd never see Grace again. He closed his eyes. Slayers never survived the job, it was always inevitable that he'd go out trying to save people. He just hoped he'd saved enough.

He felt the sharpness of teeth graze over the surface of his skin and then Hesse speaking close to his ear. "Master Wo Fat, taste the slayer, and be free,"

There was then a scream from knee level. "No!" And Hesse's presence disappeared from behind Danny.

He shook himself out of his funk and turned to see Hesse sprawled on the floor, Steve having taken him out by his knees. The vamps holding onto Danny may have been strong but they were blessedly stupid. They let him go so they could reach down and help their injured boss and in that moment Steve called out Danny's name and flung a stake in his direction - the one that had previously been held at Steve's throat. He caught it and in a well-practiced move, instantly brought it down into Hesse's body.

The two bouncer types had enough sense to know they'd messed up and to know that it was over and instead of taking on the Slayer, they ran for it. Usually, Danny would go after them to finish this properly, but right now, he was giving them a pass because he had other things to deal with.

He lifted the stake back up from the dust and into a ready position. He flung himself on top of Steve, holding him down with his weight above and legs bracketing his hips and held the stake over his heart. "Tell me it's not true," he pleaded, his voice shaking.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Steve started. "It's complicated."

"You're a vampire," Danny forced out from between gritted teeth and the stake poked further into Steve's chest making the other man wince.

"I won't hurt you."

"You expect me to believe that?" Danny's sweat-covered hair was falling over his eyes as he shook with kept-in rage. "I should finish this. Right now."

"Then why don't you?" Steve asked, his eyes staying soft. Danny didn't understand. Something inside him didn't understand how those eyes could belong to a soulless bloodsucker and that was what stopped him - the part of him that still didn't believe it was true.

His momentary pause gave Steve strength and with a growl he pushed up against Danny and reversed their position, but the stake was still firmly pressed into Steve's chest and Danny was skilled enough to dust him from any position and they both knew that.

"Maybe you should do it," Steve said quietly. "It would be a relief."

"Give me a reason not to," Danny asked of him. Unsure why he wasn't dusting a vampire. It was his job, he shouldn't be allowing his feelings to get in the way.

"How about because I'm falling in love with you?" Steve asked, sincere.

"Vampires don't love," Danny shook his head. "They haven't got the capacity. The human soul is gone."

"Not for me it isn't," Steve responded quietly. "I have mine."

Danny took a beat and the silence around them stretched. "That's not possible."

Steve took the chance to finally stand and look down over Danny where he still lay on the ground. "It is when you piss off someone with the power to punish you by bringing it back."

"What?" Danny asked, pushing up on his arms.

"A curse," Steve explained. "I'm not going to kill you, Danny. Or your watcher, or your friends or family."

Steve backed up and Danny made no move to attack him, to kill him. Instead he stood and just watched as Steve moved back into the lamp light from the door. "Why should I believe you?"

"If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead. That's not what I want. I'm not here to kill you, I'm here to save you."

"Save me?" Danny narrowed his eyes as Steve.

"I won't let you die," Steve said and then he was out the door and gone. Danny looked around himself at the empty room. He wiped the sweat from his eyes and pushed his hair back. He'd just let a dangerous vampire go. He was mad. Clearly mad. He ran out of the room and bolted up the steps. He looked around himself, a hand still gripping tightly to the stake. He saw nothing. There was no sign of Steve anywhere. Shit. He shouldn't have let him go.

He pulled out his phone and called Chin. "Good to hear from you, brah. We were worried. Did you get them?"

"Yeah," Danny breathed. "Yeah, Hesse is dust, so are his goons. The immigrants took off, the ones that we were able to save, anyway. There's three bodies I need to call in about."

"What about Steve, is he okay?"

Danny didn't even answer at first.

"Danny?"

"Yeah, uhm. Call Kamekona. I need you to see if you can vamp-proof the office again. And if you see Steve, don't invite him in anywhere."

"What's going on Danny?" Chin asked, concerned.

"Steve's a vampire. We were wrong about him."


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Danny blearily made it into work to fill out the paperwork on his 'bust' from the night before. Luckily, Chin and Kono were wizards and when Danny needed help in making his busts looks entirely human, they were able to hack into the system and help out.

He skipped lunch. He hadn't slept and all he'd had was coffee and one of those donut things but his mind was still spinning. He made it to Pearl Harbor early in the afternoon to find that Kamekona had already been by and done his magic to de-invite Steve from the place and now he owned a new set of extra large t-shirts advertising Kamekona's shave ice stand.

"And you're sure he's a vampire?" Kono asked of Danny again, despite him having filled them in on the phone that morning. She still seemed reluctant to believe it.

"I haven't seen his vamp face but it makes sense. I knew there was something off about him, but I can't believe I couldn't see the vampire in him."

"He said he had his soul back?" Chin asked, already looking up things on his computer system.

"Yeah, like a curse I guess? He said he crossed some powerful guy and it was like a punishment."

"Well," Chin said, multitasking by talking and typing. "If you were suddenly made aware that you'd been killing people mercilessly, you'd be pretty upset about it, too."

"Instead of being out surfing like I could be, Chin and I were looking into things all morning while Kamekona was doing his magic."

"We think we may have found something," Chin said with a flourish as he brought the text he was looking for onto the tabletop. He then swiped across it and brought it up on one of the big screens on the wall. There were a few pages. "I read through some of the old Watcher diaries and found talk of a ruthless vampire who killed methodically, like it was his duty, but then he seemed to drop off from the radar, shunned other vampires and society and lived alone. There's no word of him killing after that. Then I found this," Chin highlighted one text in particular.

Danny crossed his arms and read slowly out loud, screwing his eyes up against the older style of English. "And so the crown of the vampires would not be stoned like its namesake but given the greatest punishment imaginable for one of its kind."

"Steven in old Greek means crown. And Saint Stephen was stoned to death," Kono explained.

"Where did you find this?" Danny asked, pointing at the screen.

"Watcher diary from about eighty years ago," Chin answered. "From right here in Hawaii, actually. Seems some of the locals didn't take too kindly to his arrival here, especially when stories followed him of brutal killings across war torn countries. It seems Steve liked battlefields. A good way to hide just how many people he was laying waste to."

"And he expects me to like him now? Or what, feel sympathy? After everything he's done."

"Well, it wasn't really him," Kono reasoned. "His soul was gone, it was just a meat suit for a demon before a priest on the island decided to punish him with his soul. I think we can really only judge him on what he did after that."

"Maybe it's not about tricking you, Danny," Chin added.

"Maybe you need to talk to him," Kono finished.

* * *

Danny was completely on edge as he patrolled. Still tired and with no real appetite, he probably shouldn't even be out. He jumped at every noise, every bang of a dumpster lid, every slam of a door. His eyes strained into every shadow. He didn't even know if Steve was still around, the guy might have fled by now, scared that Danny would stake him rather than believe anything he said.

He'd been out for hours but there was no sign of him, no presence that Danny could feel. Only the few vampires he'd dusted had given him anything to do other than walk and sulk which was exactly what he was doing now and, quite admittedly, wallowing. He was also pretty certain nothing more was going to happen for now.

"What did you find out?" a voice asked, shaking Danny out of his reverie and forcing him to bring up his stake at the ready. It seemed Steve could still surprise Danny, at least, when he'd stopped paying attention for him.

"McGarrett?" Danny asked, turning and then slowly releasing the tight hold he had on his weapon -but never lowering it - as he took in the other man, dressed as usual in what was surely army surplus.

"Chin and Kono must have found something about me by now."

"Once they knew they were looking up a vampire and not a human, sure. They found a blood trail leading back to the Civil War. Seems you were quite ruthless."

"Yes," Steve answered, matter of fact.

"And then you dropped off. You stopped. What you told me checked out."

Steve nodded and came closer, braving it.

"I'm not asking for forgiveness for anything I've done. Or pity. I just want to help."

"You want redemption?"

"I never said that. I'm not even sure it's possible."

Danny thought about asking more, but right now, he couldn't handle anymore surprises from Steve and decided to let it go. For now. "You think I'll trust you? Just like that?"

Steve looked down, hands in his pockets. "Maybe you can give me a chance to earn it."

Danny put his stake down, he tucked it into the back of his pants and closed the distance between them. Their bodies were only inches away and it made Steve hitch in surprise. Danny tilted his neck up at him, baring it. "Go on, do it."

"What?" Steve asked, confused.

"Bite me. Kill me, turn me into a vampire, do whatever it is you want. Go ahead."

Steve just looked dumbfounded, and didn't say anything. Didn't move.

Danny turned his head back down slowly and leveled his eyes on Steve's. "It's not so easy for you anymore, is it." Steve looked away into the distance as Danny continued. "I don't know why, but I must be getting soft in my old age. I'm not going to stake you."

"You'll let me in?"

"You might be useful," Danny took a step back. "But that doesn't mean I trust you. Not yet. Not completely."

Steve smiled and reached a hand out to Danny's neck, fingertips lightly touching over the exposed skin at his throat, then jerking back, unsure if he'd crossed a line. "You're not wearing your cross."

Danny brought his own hand up in reflex to where the cross usually sat snug against him. "No, I'm not. It's in the car."

"You always wear it when you're hunting."

"Last time I wore it while you were close to me, it hurt you," Danny said, honestly.

Steve smiled. "You worked that out, huh? So you decided not to wear it in case you got close to me again?"

"I didn't say that, don't look at me like that. It was just… I'm being considerate. That's all."

"Uh-huh," Steve smiled again, this time a lot more confident. Confident enough to lean in close, lift Danny's chin and kiss him. He pulled himself in closer, wrapping around Danny's body like he'd been wanting to but had been too afraid to before now.

As they pulled apart, Danny raised his eyebrows. "A slayer kissing a vampire. Who'd have thought?"

Steve's hand wandered lower, skirting around Danny's hip before settling comfortably on his ass, giving a gentle squeeze. "I'd like to do more than kissing. We had a rain check," Steve murmured against Danny's cheek as his lips began to explore.

Danny had been enjoying it, but he sobered enough to pull back and get Steve's attention again. "I don't think it's a good idea right now."

"Back on the ship, I wasn't lying Danny. I'm in love with you, this means something to me."

"Aside from the fact that we've only known each other a couple of days, a slayer sleeping with a vampire must be the dopiest idea in the history of ideas. Whatever happens, whatever you think you feel or whatever attraction there might be - we need to go slow."

Steve honest to god pouted and turned puppy dog eyes on Danny.

"I'm sorry buddy," Danny said, extracting himself from Steve's arms, which was difficult to do when he seemed to be a vampiric octopus. "But that rain check will have to wait a little longer."

"It'll collect interest, just so you know," Steve warned.

"I can cope with that," Danny winked before turning and heading back to his car.


End file.
